Issue Date: Vol. 52, No. 7, July 2012, Posted On: 6/25/2012
Teen Gets Stuck In Vending Machine While Trying To Steal Soda
by Staff Reporter
vending machine, boy stuck in vending machine, vending machine mishap, vending machine product theft, vending, coin-op news
NATIONAL CITY, CA -- We've published reports about toddlers climbing into crane machines packed with toys and becoming trapped. Making headlines this week is a story about a teenage boy who got more than he bargained for when his arm became stuck in a vending machine after trying to steal a soda.
The 17-year-old California youth, whose name was not released, reportedly reached inside the delivery door of the beverage vending machine near a San Francisco trolley station when his arm got caught inside. A trolley rider saw him trapped and called the police.
Police, firefighters, paramedics and trolley security worked for an hour using axes, crowbars and an air chisel to free the teen. They ultimately succeeded by using a rotary saw to cut the lock on the vender door.
The teen was taken into custody and police said he might be charged with petty theft.
